Rider-actuated merry-go-round



RIDER ACTUATED MERRY-Go-ROUND Oct. 22, 1929. J. w. AHRENs RIDER ACTUATED MERRY-GO-ROUND 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1928 Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNi'llB STATES PATENT OFFICEv RIDER-ACTUATED- MERRY-GO-ROUND* Application filed December 27, 1928.

This invention relates to merry-go-rounds or like amusement devices and the general ob- `iect of the invention is to provide a merry-goround, particularly adapted for use by children, in which the user drives the merry-go round himself and without the necessity of providing motor operating mechanism to that end.

A further object is to provide a merry-goround having platforms for the operators or riders, these platforms being tiltable and so connecting these tiltable platforms to the driving mechanism as to cause the rotation of the merry-go-round.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of a merry-goround constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a detailed perspective View of the operating platform;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a post which is disposed in any suitable base or foundation and may be of any suitable character as for instance a tubular metal postor a wooden post. This post carries upon it adjacent its base, the beveled gear wheel 1l 3o having a hub held in place by a. setscrcw 12. Surrounding the post below the gear wheel 11 is an annulus 13 constituting part of the supporting frame which rests upon roller bearings 111. This annulus 13 has radiating arms 15 also constituting part of the frame and connected to the annulus in any suitable manner and providing bearings 15 for radial shafts 16. Each of these shafts at its inner end carries loosely upon it a beveled gear wheel co 17 meshing with the beveled gear wheel 11 and a ratchet clutch 18 is mounted upon each shaft and coacting with the loose beveled gear wheel and urged thereagainst by means of the coiled spring 19. Therefore, it will be seen i5 that. when the shaft 1G is oscillated. in one direction, it will engage the beveled gear wheel 17 and when oscillated in the` oth-er direction, 1t will disengage therefrom.

Supported upon the ends of the shafts are 59 the platforms 20. These platforms are Serial No. 328,830.

mounted for oscillation around the axis of the shaft and, of course, engage with the shaft to oscillate therewith.

The bearing at the outer end of the arm 15 and which supports the outer end of the 55 shaft 16 is in turn supported by the guy wires or truss rods 21 which extend upward and engage a thrust bearing 22 mounted upon the upper end of the post 10. Other guy wires or brace rods 23 extend downward from 60 the thrust bearing to the annulus 13. These rods are, of course, provided with turn buckles, nuts, etc., whereby they may be tightened from time to time tol compensate for elongation owing to adjusting the parts.

Disposed eXteriorly of the guy wires 21 and disposed above the platforms is a ring 24 which is supported upon the rods 21 by radial rods 25 and by vertical rods 26. Each of these verticalrods extends downward to the corresponding bearing 15. Supported on the ends of the platform are the two vertical rods 27 which extend upward through the ring 24 and above the ring are provided with a head 28 surrounded by coiled compression 75 springs 29.

It will be seen that with this construction, the riders stand upon the platform 20 and by teetering on these platforms or oscillating them, the drive shafts 16 are oscillated and 80 this gives intermittent rotary motion tothe beveled gear wheels 17 and thus causes the -merrygo-round to travelv around the central post 10. Y. As the platformy is `teetered in one direction, one of the springs 29 will be com- 85 pressed and the other will be fully'expanded and thus the springs will act to assist the teetering action.

It will be seen that the merry-goround may have a number of platforms and shafts 2O vand 16 and that one operator riding on the platform may readily turn the merrygo-round. Of course, the more riders there are, the more power will be appliedv to th merry-go-round to turn it,

This device is very simple, may be cheap-i ly constructed, readily installed, and it is particularly adapted for school playgrounds and for the use of children, Obviously, many modifications `may be made without departing 100 from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim l. A merry-go-round comprising a central post having thereon a beveled gear wheel, a frame rotatable around the post and having radially disposed bearings, shafts mounted in said bearings, platforms mounted upon the outer ends of the shafts, pinions loosely mounted on said shafts and engaging with said gear wheel, and means on the shaft for turning the pinions Vwhereby an oscillation of the platforms will cause a rotation of the merry-go-round around the post.

2. A merry-go-round of the character described, comprising a central post, a gear Wheel fixed thereon, a frame mounted upon the post for rotation therearound, radial shafts supported by the frame, oscillatable platforms mounted upon the ends of the shafts and oscillating therewith, the inner ends of the shafts carrying loose gear wheels engaging the fixed beveled gear wheels, and ratchet means engaging said loose gear wheels causing the operative engagement of ya shaft with its beveled gear wheel upon-an oscillation of the shaft in one direction and the release from such engagement upon an oscillation in another direction.

.3. A merry-go-round of the character decribed, comprising a central post, a gear Wheel .fixed thereon, a frame mounted upon the post for rotation therearound, radial shafts supported by the frame, 4oscillttable platforms mounted upon the ends of the shafts and oscillating therewith, the inner ends of the shafts carrying loose gear wheels engaging the fixed beveled gear wheels, ratchet means causing the operative engagement of a shaft with its beveled gear wheel upon an oscillation-of the shaft in one direction and the release upon an oscillation in another direction, and springs, one for each end of a platform, and yieldingly resisting the upward movement of this end of the platform.

4. A merry-go-round comprising a central post, a beveled gear wheel fixedly mount-` platforms and operatively supported froml the frame, vertical rods connected at the ends of each platform and extending upV through the annular member and having from such engagementl heads, and springs vdisposed between the heads and the member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afx my signature.

JOHN W. AHRENS.

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